Translating Terminology from Western Languages on Eastern and Islamic Geography
Project no. 32385 · Status: Kapanmış (Yayın bekleniyor) · 2024
Summary
<p> This project focuses on academic and popular history books translated into Turkish between 1980 and 2023, with subjects related to Turkey or Eastern and Islamic geography. In recent years, many historical studies, particularly those related to the Eastern and Islamic world, have reached Turkish readers through translations from foreign languages into Turkish. Many of these translations have resulted in a translation specific language that differs significantly from the historical proper names, place names, and terms used in indigeneous books on the same subjects, due to a lack of sources and literature in the field and the fact that translators in the market are not specialised in this area. The project consisted of two parts. First, using data mining methods related to historical publishing in Turkey, the actors and institutions involved in this type of publishing were identified. Subsequently, a catalogue of 520 books was created, identifying and classifying the terminology used in these books and the translation strategies employed when translating these texts. In the second part, a comparative paratextual and textual analysis was conducted on selected works from this catalogue to identify terminology issues in these books on the geography of the East and Islam, as well as the translation strategies used by translators and editors to resolve these problematic usages. With its holistic approach, the project evaluated the poetics of texts and both indigeneous and translated works tfrom English, French and German into Turkish, the profiles of translators, editors and publishers in publishing activities through the catalogue, and the strategies used in the target texts in light of the data obtained from paratextual and textual analysis.</p>